Die rol van die Afrikaanse pers in die taalstryd van die jare 1930/(The role of the Afrikaans press in the language struggle of the 1930's)

Abstract

This article deals with the different ways in which Afrikaans newspapers in the 1930's supporting the United Party (Die Vaderland, Die Suiderstem, and Die Volkstem) and those newspapers supporting the National Party (Die Burger, Die Volksblad and Die Transvaler) covered the Afrikaans-English language question during the period of party political coalition (1934–1939). The newspapers of both groups attempted to promote language loyalty by pressing upon their readers the importance of education in the mother language and the need to uphold individual language usage. The United Party newspapers, especially Die Vaderland, in their editorial articles exhibited greater insight for the attitude of non-Afrikaans-speaking South Africans for Afrikaans. The National Party newspapers, however, stressed the importance of user functions. These factors confirm the idea that the difference between the U.P. and the N.P. was to a great extent a difference between, on the one hand the outward and, on the other hand the inward alignment of the Afrikaner during the years preceding World War II.